Chapters on Supplication

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Nothing is more honorable in the sight of Allah Almighty than supplication."

An-Nu‘mān ibn Bashīr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Supplication is worship." Then, he recited: {Your Lord says: "Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, utterly debased."} [Surat Ghāfir: 60]

‘Abdullah ibn Busr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man said: O Messenger of Allah, the legislations of Islam have become too much for me, so inform me of something to hold on to. He said: "Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah."

Abu ad-Dardā’ (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I not inform you of the best of your deeds and the purest in the sight of your Sovereign and the highest in your ranks and better for you than spending gold and silver, and better for you than encountering your enemy so you strike their necks and they strike your necks?" They said: Yes. He said: "Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah Almighty."

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri reported: Mu‘āwiyah came upon a group of people sitting in a circle in the mosque and said: What has made you sit together? They said: We have sat together to remember Allah. He said: I adjure you by Allah, has nothing else made you sit together? They replied: By Allah, nothing else has made us sit together. He said: Indeed, I have not asked you to swear because I suspect you, and there was no one in the position I was in from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who narrates fewer Hadīths from him than me. Verily, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came upon a group of his Companions sitting in a circle and said: "What has made you sit together?" They said: We have sat together to remember Allah and praise Him for having guided us to Islam and for bestowing favor upon us. He said: "I adjure you by Allah, has nothing else made you sit together?" They said: By Allah, nothing else has made us sit together. He said: "Indeed, I have not asked you to swear because I suspect you, but Jibrīl (Gabriel) came and told me that Allah Almighty is boasting about you before the angels."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No people sit in a gathering in which they do not remember Allah and do not invoke blessings upon their Prophet, except that it will be a source of regret for them. If He wills, He will punish them, and if He wills, He will forgive them."

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The best dhikr is lā ilāha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah), and the best supplication is Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah)."

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to remember Allah at all times.

‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: In the evening, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: "The evening has reached, and all the dominion belongs to Allah and praise be to Allah. There is no god but Allah, alone without any partner." The narrator said: "I believe he said along with them: 'To Him belongs the dominion, and to Him belongs praise, and He is Omnipotent over all things. My Lord, I ask You for the good of this night and the good of what follows it, and I seek refuge with You from the evil of this night and the evil of what follows it. My Lord, I seek refuge with You from laziness and woeful aging. My Lord, I seek refuge with You from torment of the fire and torment in the grave.' In the morning, he used to say: 'The morning has reached and all the dominion belongs to Allah.'"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): Upon reaching the morning, he used to say: "O Allah, by You we have reached the morning, and by You we have reached the evening; by You we live, and by You we die, and to You is the Resurrection." Upon reaching the evening, he would say: "By You we have reached the evening, and by You we have reached the morning, by You we live, and by You we die, and to You is the resurrection." He said: And another time: "And to You is the final destination.".

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, teach me some words to recite in the morning and in the evening." He said: "Say: 'O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the hidden and the apparent, Lord of everything and its Possessor. I bear witness that there is no god but You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my own self and from the evil of the devil and the evil of polytheism to which he calls, and from incurring any sin upon myself or upon any other Muslim.'" He added: "Recite them in the morning, in the evening, and when you go to bed."

Shaddād ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) reported from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "The best way of seeking Allah's forgiveness is to say: 'Allāhumma anta rabbi la ilāha illa ant khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduk wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa‘dika mastata‘t a‘ūdhu bika min sharri ma sana‘t abū’u laka bini‘matika ‘alayya wa abū’u bidhanbi faghfir li fa innahu la yaghfiru adh-dhunūba illa ant (O Allah, You are my Lord. You created me, and I am Your slave. I will remain faithful to Your covenant and promise as much as possible. I seek refuge with You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favor upon me, and I admit my sin. So, forgive me. Indeed, none can forgive sins but You).'" He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) added: "And whoever says this during the day while being certain of its meaning, then he dies before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise, and whoever says it at night while being certain of its meaning then he dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: ''Praise be to Allah Who gave us food and drink, provided for us sufficiently, and gave us shelter, for how many there are who have no one to provide for them or to give them shelter.''

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) intended to sleep, he would place his hand under his head, then say: "Allāhumma qini ‘adhābaka yawma tajma‘u or tab‘athu ‘ibādak (O Allah, protect me from Your punishment on the Day You gather or resurrect Your servants)."

Suhayl reported: Abu Sālih used to order us that if anyone of us wanted to sleep, he should lie on his right side, and then say: "O Allah, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth and Lord of the Magnificent Throne! Our Lord, and the Lord of everything, the Cleaver of grains and date seeds, the Revealer of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Criterion (the Qur'an), I seek refuge with You from the evil of everything that You have grasp of its forelock (You have full control over it). O Allah, You are the First, there is nothing before You, You are the Last and there is nothing after You, You are the Highest and there is nothing above You, and You are the Nearest and there is nothing nearer than You. Remove the burden of debt from us and relieve us of poverty." Abu Sālih used to narrate this from Abu Hurayrah, who narrated it from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When any one of you goes to his bed, let him dust off his bed with the end of his lower garment, for indeed he does not know what came unto it after he had left it. Then one should say: 'In Your Name, O my Lord, I place my side (on the bed), and by You I will lift it. If You take my soul, then have mercy on it, and if You send it, then protect it as You protect Your righteous slaves.'"

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: When the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) went to bed every night, he would join his palms together and blow into them and recite the Surahs al-Ikhlās, al-Falaq, and an-Nās, and then he would wipe with his hands over as many parts of his body as he could, starting with his head, face, and the front of his body. He used to do that three times.

Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are certain things, the sayer of which – or the performer of which – after every prescribed prayer will never be disappointed: Tasbīh (saying 'Subhānallāh') thirty-three times, Tahmīd (saying 'Al-hamdulillāh') thirty-three times, and Takbīr (saying 'Allāhu Akbar') thirty-four times."

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say between the two prostrations: "Rabbi ighfir li, rabbi ighfir li" (My Lord, forgive me; my Lord, forgive me).

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered voluntary prayer during the night, he would say: "O Allah, our Lord! All praise belongs to You. You are the Custodian of the heavens and the earth, all praise belongs to You. You are the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all what is in them, all praise belongs to You. You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. You are the Truth, Your speech is the Truth, Your promise is the Truth, Your meeting is the Truth, Paradise is true, Hell-fire is true, and the Hour is true. O Allah, to You I submit, in You I believe, upon You I rely, By Your help I contend with my foes, and to You I refer for judgment. So, forgive me the sins I committed in the past and those I may commit in the future, those I did secretly and those I did openly, and all that which You know of better than I do. There is no god but You.”

Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn ‘Awf reported: I asked ‘Ā'ishah, the Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) about the words with which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to commence his voluntary night prayer. She said that when he got up at night, he would commence his prayer with these words: "O Allah, Lord of Jibrīl, Mikha'īl, and Israfil, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your slaves concerning that in which they used to differ. Guide me, by Your permission, to the truth about which people differ. Verily, You guide whom You will to the straight path!"

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that they directly heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Whoever says, 'there is no god but Allah, and Allah is Greatest,' his Lord affirms it, saying: 'There is no god but Me, and I am Greatest.' When one says, 'there is no god but Allah alone; He has no partner,' Allah says, 'there is no god but Me alone; I have no partner.' When one says: 'There is no god but Allah. To Him is the dominion and to Him is praise,' Allah says: 'There is no god but Me. To Me is the dominion, and to Me is praise.' When one says, 'there is no god but Allah, and there is no might nor power save with Allah,' Allah says: 'There is no god but Me, and there is no might nor power save with Me.' He (the Prophet) used to say: 'Anyone who says this in his illness then dies, the Fire will not consume him.'"

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: The Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say during times of distress: "There is no god but Allah, the Most Great, the Forbearing. There is no god but Allah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. There is no god but Allah, the Lord of the heavens, the Lord of the earth, and the Lord of the Noble Throne."

Khawlah bint Hakīm (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever alights somewhere and then says: '‘A‘ūdhu bi kalimātillāh at-tāmmāti min sharri ma khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created)', nothing will harm him until he leaves that place."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: 'A man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I intend to go on a journey, so give me provision." He said: "May Allah grant you piety as your provision!" He said: "Give me more." He said: "And may He forgive your sin!" He said: "Give me more." He said: "And may He make goodness easy for you wherever you are!"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man said: "O Messenger of Allah, I want to set out on a journey, so advise me." He said: "Fear Allah and say 'Allah is the Greatest' upon every elevated place." When the man turned away, he (the Prophet) said: "O Allah, make the distance short for him and make the journey easy for him.”

‘Ali ibn Rabī‘ah reported: I was there when a mount was brought to ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) to ride on. When he put his foot in the stirrup, he said: "In the name of Allah". When he settled himself on its back, he recited: "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have otherwise subdued it. And indeed we, to our Lord, will surely return." He then recited: "Praise be to Allah" three times, and then: "Allah is the Greatest" three times. Then he said: "Exalted are You above any imperfection. I have wronged myself, so forgive me, for none but You can forgive sins" and then he laughed. It was asked: "O Commander of the Believers, what made you laugh?" He replied: "I saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) doing as I have done then he laughed." I asked him: ”O Messenger of Allah, what made you laugh?” He said: “Your Lord, the Exalted, is pleased when His slave seeks His forgiveness; he (the slave) knows that none can forgive sins except Allah."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are three supplications that will undoubtedly be answered: the supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveler, and the supplication of a parent against his child."

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that whenever the wind blew strongly, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would say: "O Allah, I ask You for its good and the good of what is in it and the good of the purpose for which it was sent; and I seek Your refuge from its evil and the evil of what is in it and the evil of the purpose for which it was sent.”

Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaydulllāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: On sighting the new moon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would say: "O Allah, let this new moon appear on us with security and faith, and with safety and Islam. (O moon) Your Lord and my Lord is Allah. May this new moon be a carrier of guidance and good!"

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "If any of you sees a vision he likes, it is from Allah. So, let him praise Allah for it, and let him recount it. If he sees something else that he dislikes, it is from the devil. So, let him seek refuge from its evil and mention it to no one, for it will not harm him."

Abu Umāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) finished eating, he would say: "Allah be praised with an abundant, sincere, and blessed praise. O our Lord, You are not in need of anyone, and we cannot do without Your favor nor dispense with it."

Sahl ibn Mu‘ādh ibn Anas related from his father that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever eats food and says 'Alhamdulillah al-ladhi at‘amani hadha wa razaqneih min ghayri hawl li wala quwwah (Praise be to Allah who fed me and provided me with this food through no might or power on my part)', his past sins will be forgiven."

Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I met Ibrāhīm (Abraham) on the night I was taken for a journey, and he said: O Muhammad, convey my greetings of peace to your Ummah and tell them that Paradise has pure soil and sweet water. It is vast plain lands and its seedlings are: Subhānallāh (glory be to Allah), Al-hamdulillāh (praise be to Allah), La ilāha illallāh (there is no god but Allah), and Allāhu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)."

Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: As we were with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), he asked: "Is anyone of you unable to earn a thousand good deeds every day?" One of those present asked: How can one earn a thousand good deeds? He replied: "He glorifies Allah a hundred times, a thousand good deeds will be recorded for him, or a thousand sins will be erased from his record."

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever says: Subhānallāh al-‘azhīm wa bihamdih (Glory be to Allah the Most Great and praise is due to Him), a date palm will be planted for him in Paradise."

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever says: Subhānallāh al-‘azhīm wa bihamdih (Glory be to Allah the Most Great and praise is due to Him), a date palm will be planted for him in Paradise."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever says ‘subhān Allah wa bihamdih (glory be to Allah, and praise be to Him)’ one hundred times a day, his sins will be erased, even if they were as much as the foam of the sea."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are two words that are light on the tongue, heavy on the scale, and dear to the Most Merciful: subhān Allah al-‘azhīm (glory be to Allah, the Majestic), subhān Allah wa bihamdih (glory and praise be to Allah)."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever says ‘subhān Allah wa bihamdih (glory be to Allah, and praise be to Him)’ one hundred times a day, his sins will be erased, even if they were as much as the foam of the sea."